Dive-Guide-to-the-Philippines-April-20-2016

with Coleman shrimp, blue-ring Muck Diving
octopus, fluorescent urchins plus
lots of gobies and their bulldozer The term “muck diving” is
shrimps. It is a great macro spot that attributed to Papua New Guinea
also has some very photogenic dive pioneer Bob Halstead . He
bobtail shrimp and hiding spotted found that there were unusual,
crabs on the sand anemones. exotic and juvenile critters near his
wife’s home at Dinah’s Beach at
Hypselodoris nudibranch Milne Bay. These odd and unusual
creatures make their homes in the
12) Mainit volcanic black sand, sediment and
Icons: even trash that the popular sites
Location: Off Cazador Point seem to have in common. Lucky
Depth: 16-115 ft. (5-35 m) divers may find colorful
This rocky point is one of the nudibranchs, frogfish, blue-ringed
better dives for variety and fish life. octopus, scorpionfish, seahorses
Mainit means “hot” in Tagalog and and a host of other strange and
nearby onshore there are hot hard-to-find marine creatures in
springs. You can bring eggs and boil these habitats. While not as pretty
them here too! as corals reefs, the muck dives are
There are no springs underwater fascinating and require a sharp eye
and a knowledge of how a fish or
invertebrate uses camouflage.
Perhaps those that enjoy muck
diving the most are the macro
photographers. The normally calm
and shallow water provides
amazing opportunities to
photograph the creatures and the
dives are normally longer,
providing plenty of bottom time.
Anilao is considered one of the
better muck diving regions in the
Philippines.

but there is a good variety of terrain

50

Flamboyant cuttlefish
at Elmer’s

along a rocky, boulder-strewn, shallower areas hold much more to
ridged and sloped reef. The dive see so one can make a nice long
starts in a protected eddy and, dive looking for small stuff like
keeping the reef on the right, gets nudibranchs and cowries. There are
progressively better as you head also a couple of nearby submerged
into the currenty point. There are pinnacles at 70 ft. (21m) that offer a
lots of soft and hard corals good vantage point from which to
including big clusters of salmon see the passing parade of pelagics.
colored tubastreas that have bright
yellow polyps that open to feed 13) Twin Rocks
when the current is strong. There Icons:
are stonefish and lots of lionfish Location: NE of Babalangit Point
about as well. Depth: 53-100 ft. (16-30 m)

Look also for big, green tree A marine sanctuary, this site has
tubastreas, big plate and vase corals even seen Philippine president
and lots of crinoids. There are many Gloria Macapagal Arroyo make a
big, healthy barrel sponges along few of her dives here. The site only
the dropoff. Although the rocky, allows 20 divers at a time according
sloping wall goes quite deep, the

51

Anthias at the Twin Rocks good new here is divers will have
the place to themselves, although it
to a sign on the beach and does not is a very popular site.
allow training or checkout. So the
The fish here are used to being fed
so batfish head to divers as they
descend. Other fish like damsels
and butterflyfish will join the fray.
The dive is normally started at the
south buoy and divers can feed the
fish, look at the corals and check
out sea anemones and some
well-placed giant clams.

There are some tridacna clams
near the remains of a wreck and
other wreck remnants sit at 100 ft.
(30m) but aren’t much to see.

Go a bit deeper down the sloping
bottom and there may be a large
school of bigeye jacks. Look for

Coastal Anilao Islands
52

hawksbills resting on the bottom purple Chromodoris (Hypselodoris
including a large, old male. bullocki) can be found.

Toward the end of the dive the There are also some nice plume
twins appear in the shallows. They worms, the occasional blue ribbon
are just two similar looking rocks eel and lots of anemones
split by a small canyon in the throughout the dive including
middle but they are smothered in bubble tip anemones with
marine life. Pink anthias are spinecheek clownfish.
everywhere. Yellow and orange
crinoids nestle on balls of the pink 15) Cathedral Rock
tubastreas. If there is some current, Icons:
the tubastreas open their yellow Location: NE of Babalangit Point
polyps giving the twins even more Depth: 53-100 ft. (16-30 m)
color. Anemones and all kinds of
hard corals cover the rest of the A marine sanctuary, this site is a
rocks. The twin rocks are a great popular weekend haunt for Manila
place to make colorful images. divers. Nudibranch lovers flock here
for macro photography.
14) Elmer’s There are a few other sites around
Icons: the country named the same thing,
Location: NE of Babalangit Point but this Cathedral Rock site is,
Depth: 30-100 ft. (9-30 m) without a doubt, the most famous.
It’s actually a flourishing artificial
This is a great macro site almost reef developed in 1967 by scuba
adjacent to the Twin Rocks Marine enthusiast Dr. Tim Sevilla. This
Sanctuary and it is good for nice sea pioneer transplanted the now-
anemones, corals and a variety of prodigious live corals onto the
nudibranchs including quite a few previously barren twin rocks. At the
from the Nembrotha sp. family. Its time this was an act thought to be
very good for macro photography. impossible. These rocks are now
teeming with fish awaiting a
What’s nice is that this area isn’t handout from divers, who for years
dived much as its known as a site have been feeding them. This has
that “only photographers enjoy”. spurred a few other endeavors.
The reason they like it is that such There is a nice artificial reef in the
colorful oddities as flamboyant making at the end of Basura 1, for
cuttlefish, pygmy seahorses, Spanish instance.
dancers and nudis like the beautiful

53

Octopus in a bottle shard

This is also one of a handful of is plentiful and includes
sites in the area that are both nudibranchs, Moorish idols,
protected and allow fish feeding. butterflyfish, clownfish hanging
This makes getting fish photos pretty around some large anemones,
easy. Just don’t throw out too much angelfish, triggerfish, wrasses,
food at once or there could be a parrotfish, damsels, puffers,
frenzy of damsels, surgeons and surgeons and even, in the shallows,
batfish creating havoc. juvenile batfish.

At around 48 ft. (14m) there is 16) Basura 1
the small cross from which the site Icons:
gets its name. The cross was blessed Location: NE of Babalangit Point
by Pope John Paul II and placed Depth: 53-100 ft. (16-30 m)
here in 1983 by then Gen. Fidel V.
Ramos, who went on to become This is one of the more famous
president of the Philippines. critter dives in Anilao as far as sheer
variety of strange muck creatures
It is possible to go deeper than goes. Some divers say night diving
100 ft. (30m), but there isn’t much here is best and they do three dives
to see below the Cathedral’s area.
Enjoy the diverse marine life which

54

running into the night and then they This site is a continuation of the
rest by day. Others think the site is first dive and extends almost into
good any time of the day. Anilao town. The terrain isn’t as
Photographer Scott “Gutsy” Tuason sandy. Its scattered with more coral
produced a very nice hard cover bommies and holds a different host
book called “Anilao” that features a of small fish. It’s known to be a very
lot of Basura’s macro critters. good place to find ribbon eels.

Basura Yellow spiny seahorse
means “trash”
in Tagalog and But there are also a lot of rare
you will see and unusual nudibranchs including
that the hammerhead nudis.
prevailing
currents seem Look for striped fantail pipefish in
to carry junk the urchins, cardinalfish schools,
here and leave plumeworms, and plenty of
it. It is quickly guardian sand gobies with their
converted into bulldozer shrimp. There are also
habitat by many roaming shoals of juvenile
octopi, catfish scouring the bottom. This
seahorses, can be another long and shallow
frogfish and dive for great macro shots.
scorpionfish.

There are
also a lot of
naturally occurring sand anemones
with clownfish, crabs and shrimp.
There are also small frogfish,
harlequin shrimp, Bobbit worms,
ghost and ornate pipefish, crocodile
snake eels, commensal shrimp and
the list goes on.

17) Basura 2
Icons:
Location: NE of Babalangit Point
Depth: 53-100 ft. (16-30 m)

55

Donsol/Ticao/Masbate 23
Donsol
The popular whale shark and
manta ray viewing area around 20, Luzon
Donsol and Ticao Island is called 21 18
Manta Bowl and has become a 22 Ticao19
destination for those wanting to see
large marine life, big fish schools Masbate
and even pelagics like marlins and
sailfish in the open sea. Masbate in the Bicol region of the
Philippines. The Province of
Donsol is reached by flying in to Masbate comprises three major
southern Luzon via Legaspi. The islands, Masbate, Ticao and Burias.
“perfect volcano”, imposing Mount There are coastal resorts here as
Mayon, looms over Legaspi City well and Ticao Island is a short ferry
and the surrounding countryside. ride away. Manta Bowl is quite
The airport is out of town so divers close to resorts along the eastern
head for the hour ride through the Ticao coast.
surrounding countryside into the
Province of Sorsogon. Most stay at The best time to visit is October
the resorts a few miles out of town to June. After that, the north
along the beach where there are monsoon, “habagat”, blows in and
also some very good little eateries. makes water rough and creates low
Make sure you try the Bicol Express. visibility in the bay.

Or, one can fly or take a ferry to
Masbate City on the Island of

Donsol whale shark
art on town wall

56

Mt. Mayon from Donsol area

18) Manta Bowl variety of open water marine life.
Icons: Divers bring reef hooks, hook in
Location: Ticao Island Channel and wait for the large creatures to
Depth: 55 to 80 ft. (17 to 25m) show up. This is a tricky dive,
however, and should be done only
This is one of the major pelagic with an experienced guide.
dive sites in the Philippines and is
normally current swept and full of a From Donsol, its about an hour
ride in calm seas to the dive area.
Manta Bowl manta Much shorter from Ticao dive
resorts. There are no moorings and
an open water fast descent is
required to get down to the reef top.
Since the reef is only 55-60 ft. (16-
18m) in many spots, this is done
fairly handily.

The Manta Bowl Shoal is a
submerged atoll covering
around eight hectares. There are five
different dive sites here ranging
from 55 to 105 ft. (14 to 29m) and
all offer the chance to see Mr. Big.
Manta Bowl lies in the Ticao Pass
and Burias Pass. This area is known
for plankton-rich water and a

57

consistant current. These traits make imperative you have a good guide
the waters of Ticao an alley for to show you where to hook in and
other pelagics like big oceanic observe. Also, some of the better
mantas, marble rays, tiger sharks, spots are a bit deeper at 80 ft. (24m)
great hammerhead sharks, thresher as the reeftop slopes gradually
sharks, oceanic whitetips, great down with the current.
barracudas and seasonal whale
sharks. The strong currents also Trips usually start early to take
bring out the schooling fish and it is advantage of morning tide. This
common to see blackbar barracuda incredible show of marine life
shoals, schooling bigeye jacks and depends on good currents,
even beautiful yellowfin tuna. so don’t shy away because of
currents. Fish life decreases
Stick close to the guide and be significantly at slack tide.
weighted enough to be able to
avoid being swept away. The top of After watching the action,
the mount has some scattered unhook the reef hook and do an
corals but most of it is open reef open ocean drifting deco stop,
flat. These coral stations usually again following the guide and the
hold sea anemones with clownfish, safety sausage. Because this is really
lots of crinoids and a few other out to open sea and it has currents,
small fish like hawkfish. each diver should have a safety
sausage in case he or she gets swept
The cleaning stations are not all off and is separated from the group
that obvious so it is again or guide.

Anemones on Manta Bowl reef flats
58

19) Bobby’s Wall
Icons:
Location: South Point of San
Miguel Island
Depth: 30 -100 ft. (9 - 30m)

Along the west side and
the far point of San
Miguel island there is a drift

dive along a wall that is fun

and full of surprises. This is

normally a drift dive with a

manageable current running

along the steep cliffs. These

cliffs are nice to see above

the surface as they hold

caves and have rugged

formations.

Below they also offer Linkia blue starfish
exploration as the diver can

enter any one of three caves boat dive that can be done on the
at about 70 ft. (21m) and look for way back from Manta Bowl or as a
inhabitants. second dive after the nearby
Bobby’s Wall. Both were found by
Inside and along the wall and sea local guide Bobby Adrao and are a
bottom you can find boxer shrimp couple of roughly a dozen dives
in the cave, banded sea snakes, found around San Miguel. This
stonefish, spotted stingrays and features lots of small coral heads,
many kinds of nudibranchs. table corals and undercuts.

The wall and caves also have The bonus is that this seems to be
nice arrays of soft corals. This site is a manta ray area as well and an
good for macro and wide angle.

20) Bobby’s Garden occasional manta ray is seen
Icons: around the table corals at 40 ft.
Location: SE tip, San Miguel Island (12m). Look also for eagle rays.
Depth: 10 to 60 ft. (3 to 18m)
The corals hold various anemones
and spinecheek clownfish, spiny

This is a relaxing and shallow puffers, lots of variety in

59

Depth: 0 to 30 ft. (0
to 9m)

Pasil Reef is right in

front of Ticao Island

Resort and is a great

third dive and it is

generally reserved as

San Miguel cliffline a night dive. Look for
the usual suspects

nudibranchs, shrimp, crabs and lots including sleeping
of other small critters. This can be a whitetips, mantis shrimps and
good macro dive and it is shallow marauding crabs looking for a meal.

enough to allow for looking around 23) San Rafael
for small things in the shallows. Icons:

21) Alea Beach Location: Off San Rafael Village
Icons: Depth: 5 to 30 ft. (1.2 to 9m)

Location: W. San Miguel Island This is a shallow and mucky dive
Depth: 0 to 10 ft. (0 to 3m) with just enough current to sweep

This is a private beach and the silt away, making photography
permission to use the beach can be rewarding despite silty conditions.
gotten in Donsol. But even if you This is the kind of dive where two is
don’t go ashore, snorkeling from a crowd as silt gets kicked up easily
your anchored banca is very nice. and visibility lessens quickly, so
It's a shallow open bay and the divers should spread out to avoid
bottom has small coral heads, brain making too much of a mess for one
corals and sea feathers. Lots of another, especially if macro
starfish are also found in the area. photography is the goal of the dives.
Look for pufferfish and lizardfish in
the sea feathers and trumpetfish Among the creatures seen here
hiding in the fronds. are hairy frogfish, waspfish, lots of
aggressive little saddleback
anemonefish and their anemones,

22) Pasil Reef mantis shrimp, nudibranchs, small
Icons: red or orange frogfish and lots
Location: Ticao Island Resort more. One can see Mount Mayol
from the boat on the ride back.

60

Whale shark feeding at Donsol

Donsol’s Whale Sharks weigh 8 -13 tons. So these aren’t
that big at 13-20 ft. (4-6m) and 2
Whale sharks are the biggest tons. But they are bigger than
shark and also the biggest anything else swimming around the
fish found in the sea. And Donsol’s bay. Thus, their dark forms can be
big claim to fame is that they come seen cruising just under the surface
to feed fairly consistently in its in a tasty layer of Donsol Bay’s
waters. They are in the highest plankton, small fish and crablets.
numbers from mid-February until The spotters have great eyes as the
the end of March but they can start sharks rarely break the surface.
to appear much earlier and leave in
May when the hagabat winds start There is an association of whale
coming in and make the bay murky. shark watching boats and the crews
They may actually start to show up are trained in spotting and
as early as the start of December or approaching the sharks. Everyone
late November if there have been must get a license and take a course
no big rains. A couple of years the to see the whale sharks which is
plankton the sharks seek has shown done at the Department of Tourism.
up elsewhere and the sharks have The quick course is on video and is
not come, but that is not the norm. well done. World Wildlife Fund
guidelines for whale shark
The ones that show up are young interaction are generally followed
males and not huge by whale shark in Donsol waters. Snorkelers are not
standards. Whale sharks reach 60 allowed to touch the fish and
ft./18m and average 40 ft./13m and everyone pays a conservation fee.

Puerto Galera 33

This very popular diving, holiday 32
and nightlife destination offers
great diving by day and lots of 30 31
partying by night. Good local food
stands line the beach and fine 28, 29 24
dining can be found in the hotels. 27
Accommodation is plentiful,
ranging from simple beach cottages 26
to air-conditioned resorts. The
shoreline is the home of the famous 25
The Point Bar. Here many dive
stories are both created and then actually a bigger non-tourist city a
greatly embellished. Food and bit southwest of Sabang. Generally,
revelry aside, there are dive shops the whole area just gets called
that are very advanced and Puerto Galera but the divers mostly
equipped well for anything from hang out around Sabang’s beaches
basic instruction all the way up to which include Monkey Beach, Big
advanced technical diving.

The northeast tip of beaches and
bays of Mindoro Island is actually
referred to commonly as Puerto
Galera. Puerto Galera town is

Puerto Galera
62

La Laguna and PG kids eating ice cream
Small La Laguna.
out. This area is also a huge
The coastal technical diving area. This book
waters of Puerto deals with just the major sport
Galera were diving sites but there is an array of
declared a marine deep (150 ft.+ 45m+) sites that are
sanctuary several regularly done with mixed gas and
decades ago. As a rebreathers. Accessible snorkeling is
result, the reefs just offshore, where marine life
have become abounds even in shallow water.
amazingly diverse
and prolific over Currents can be quite strong at
the years. some of the sites, and unwary divers
have been swept out to sea on
Folks who fly into occasion. Always dive with a
the Philippines knowledgeable local guide, of
usually take a two- which there is no shortage.
hour bus ride from
Manila to Batangas
followed by a one-
hour crossing of the
Verde Island
Passage. Puerto
Galera is easily
accessible. Most resorts and dive
centers can arrange transfers from
anywhere in Manila. Boat transfers
to and from Anilao are also
common and take anywhere from
40 minutes to two hours depending
on the type of boat and the
currents. Diving is possible at PG
year ‘round.

In the gorgeous coves and bays
east of Puerto Galera you’ll find
more than 40 excellent dive sites
within 20 minutes of most diving
services, and more dive sites farther

63

Giant clams at Clam City

24) Clam City one doesn’t have to go any farther
Icons: than 35 ft. (11m) to see plenty of
Location: Puerto Galera Harbor macro life. Most of the clams are
Depth: 10 to 80 ft. (3 to 24m) situated near reefs and a few are out
in the sand. Since they feed by
A fun site for macro that has its photosynthesis, they are in open,
own local guard is Clam City. sunny water. Most are in 20 ft. (6m)
Located in the channel southeast of or even less so snorkelers can enjoy
Sabang, in Muele Bay, many giant them too. Thus, there is a lot of boat
tridacna clams have been placed for traffic. So divers need to surface at a
snorkelers to see and also to help mooring line or next to your guide’s
reseed the area with giant clams. safety sausage.
This was done by researchers from
the University of Manila over a In the clam area there are many
decade ago. As these can be tasty, a jawfish. Sometimes two even share
guard is posted in an anchored one hole. Look to see if any are
outrigger to ensure no one tries to incubating eggs in their mouths.
get the clams for dinner. There are blue linkia starfish with
small commensal shrimps, bubble
The shallows are interesting and anemones, snake eels, bluespot

64

stingrays and bulldozer shrimp Snake eel
doing their thing as the sentinel
goby watches warily. Deeper in the
channel look for roaming schools of
catfish, seahorses, plumeworm
colonies, solar powered slugs,
lizardfish and many other unusual
critters. Fish life swirls overhead.

This whole area is beautiful above
the water and has some unique
marine life down below. Sites like
Coral Gardens, The Hill (which is
considered to be the shallower
snorkeling area at Clam City) and
even the populous White Beach all
offer venues for sea critter hunts.

25) Coral Gardens beaches northeast of Puerto Galera,
Icons: one passes this attractive site on the
Location: Batangas Channel way out of the harbor channel near
Depth: 10 to 50 ft. (3 to 15m) Long Beach.

If heading by boat to any of the It has prolific hard corals and tube
and encrusting sponges that grow in
Sabang Bay the shallow water here.

This is normally an easy dive that
is frequently used for training and
is also a great snorkeling spot.
Staghorn and basket corals are
prolific and shell fanciers will
appreciate the variety of cowry
species, clams, morays, lionfish
and the occasional frogfish.

Photographers will also like this
site as the shallow reef makes it
easy to play with light for wide
angle scenes. Soft and hard corals
make colorful backdrops for fish
and macro work.

65

Snapper school on Alma Jane

26) Alma Jane love having such an easily
Icons: reachable ship. Photographers love
Location: Off Asia Divers pier it even more, especially for wide
Depth: 40 to 100 ft. (12 to 30m) angle work.

Almost directly off the Asia Alma Jane bow
Divers’ pier in Sabang Bay is a
scuttled shipwreck that is a great
fish magnet. It’s the most substantial
wreck in the bay and can be dived
from shore or the pier but is best
done by boat as it is deep. The
actual ship is a 60-ton, 115-ft.
(33m) steel-hulled cargo ship. It was
built in Japan in 1966. It was
purposely sunk in March 2003. It
landed upright, making it a great
wreck to photograph.

With a variety of marine life
taking up residence in and around
the wreck, wreckies and tekkies

66

Hull of a Sabang Awencha

There is usually a buoy aft and Snapper and batfish like the
divers can descend all the way to outside of the wreck and a school of
the back prop area. The sand is at the yellowtail snapper is usually in
about 100 ft. (30m), the deck 80 the bow area. The batfish seem to
(24m) and the upper bridge-type follows divers as a curiosity. Do an
structure is 55-60 ft. (18m). The open water drift ascent and look for
prop has been removed but there is a very large, flowing school of
a rudder still intact and spotted batfish. Divers can play with them
sweetlips, snappers and batfish like and drift with them as they slowly
to hover here. make their way up to a deco stop.
This is a high boat traffic area. Have
Most of the wire and stuff that a large visible safety sausage and
could entangle a diver has been ascend close to the guide.
removed, but not all, so be aware.
Cardinalfish hide here. The lionfish 27) Sabang Wrecks
are always in full attendance as Icons:
there are large baitfish and fusilier Location: East of Sabang Point
schools that form thick shoals inside Depth: 10 to 130+ft. (3 to 40+m)
and give them plenty of food. Aside
from the fish, the holds are open This dive has some reef and wreck
and empty and easy to explore.

67

Sabang sea grasses

action and can be either a wide leveled due to the years and a
angle or a macro dive. This can be a typhoon, but the ship’s ribs are still
walk-in from the sea grasses in the present. Crinoids, rope sponges and
shallows, but its easiest to grab a anthias are all over this one as well.
banca ride out to a buoy that’s Also look for white-eye morays,
attached to an anchor and descend frogfish and cuttlefish.
to about 70 ft. (21m).
Moving on, normally with a
Nearby is the stripped out hull of batfish and surgeonfish entourage
an old sailboat named “Awencha”. following, there’s another wooden
The ship rests on it port side and wreck that was once a Taiwanese
may have some macro critters fishing junk. Now the remnants are
inside to shoot. Be careful of the home of a good number of
scorpionfish that inhabit the wreck. cardinalfish and anthias. This
There are lots of cardinalfish inside attracts the beautiful coral groupers
as well. Outside, lizardfish, and lots of small damsels. There’s
encrusting sponges, soft corals and still and old, encrusted engine, the
other invertebrates and clouds of ballast stones can be seen aft and
anthias have made the hull home. there’s part of the stern.

From here swim south to find the Look for cuttlefish around the
tossed remains of a Vietnamese wreck, some butterflyfish and
wooden vessel. Its pretty well puffers. Frogfish also conceal

68

themselves well in the aft ribs. 28) West Escarceo
Now comes the critter and macro Icons:
Location: West of Escarceo Point
search. Start heading into the Depth: 10 to 100 ft. (3 to 30m)
shallow part of the south bay where
sand and sea grasses hold snake This site is a photographer favorite
eels, stargazers, helmet gurnards, for its normally calm waters at
sea pens with small commensal reeftop that hold beautiful hard
crabs, ghost pipefish and arrays of brain, boulder and table corals and
chocolate chip sea stars. lots of small marine creatures.

This productive and interesting The dive then goes into a sharp
area is only 15-20 ft. (4-6m) deep slope that bottoms out at 100 ft.
and divers can do a long deco (30m). Bring a local guide to point
stop/critter search by scrounging out some of the critter haunts and
around. This is a high boat traffic also to be able to tell if the current
area so make sure to follow a guide is changing in any way.
up a safe mooring. The sandy area
down to the Taiwanese wreck One can dive around and return
makes for a very interesting night back into the eddy area or elect to
dive and then chances of seeing a drift and follow the current which
stargazer are pretty good. may go by a couple of sites.

Flying gurnard

69

29) Hole in the Wall along several drop-offs festooned
Icons: with hard and soft corals. This
Location: Off Escarceo Point brings you to the namesake hole at
Depth: 30 to 60 ft. (9 to 18m) around 45 ft. (13m). The hole itself
Range: Novice is about 5 ft. (1.5m) wide, which
allows a fully equipped diver to
The table corals below at this site easily pass through. Be careful not
are healthy and they are in to brush the side as it’s covered in
consistently clear water. Drop down soft corals and invertebrates.
to 30 ft. (9m) and then slowly head
down the reef. This site off Escarceo The wall falls away, so keep an
Point is renowned for its sometimes eye out into the blue for large
ferocious currents and riptides, pelagics. Local divers have from
whirlpools and eddies. But that also time to time reported seeing
accounts for the healthy coral cover mantas, whale sharks and other big
that flows down this terraced and fish here and the nearby Canyons.
seemingly landscaped layered drop.
That said, again, take an Head back up around a point at
experienced guide. about 50 ft. (15m) and through a
series of coral heads and sand and
This is a popular dive and the finish up for deco at the same pretty
“Hole” itself is not that deep but is table top coral area entry point.
found under a ridge and can be
missed if you don’t follow the 30) The Canyons
guide. You get there by swimming Icons:
Location: Off Escarceo Point
Depth: 25-130 ft. (8-40 m)

The Canyons An advanced site, The Canyons,
has always been one of the popular
adrenalin dives. Local knowledge of
the currents is imperative here, as
you must rely on the prevailing
current to sweep you into position
on this dive. After racing with the
current over several small drop-offs
festooned with big, golden
gorgonians and past thick schools of
golden anthias, soft corals and

70

Blue spot ray shallow end-of-dive swim-throughs
that make great photos.
sponges, you’ll find yourself in an
area with several crevasses (the Start by entering at about 15 ft.
canyons) that are cleft into the wall. (5m) and then slowly head down
These afford some respite from the the reef slope. There is an
usually raging current. interesting little coral valley that
leads to the first wall in about 45 ft.
Expect to see large schools of (13m) of water. This dive has some
trevallies, snappers, sweetlips, nice wide angle possibilities but is
barracuda and sometimes whitetip famous for its nudibranch diversity.
sharks. Lionfish, surgeonfish and There are lots of Chromodoris,
lined angelfish are also often Nembrotha, Glossodoris,
present. There’s lots going on as the Hyselodoris, Flabellina and
currents always seem to make the flatworms and lots more.
ocean creatures come alive.
The second wall is about 45 ft.
The usual end point of this dive is (13m) deep up to 20 (6m) or so.
a large anchor embedded in the There are snapper schools and
reef. Open ocean deco is the yellow damsels, yellow sea
norm. Follow a guide, use a safety cucumbers and lots of anemones.
sausage and look out for boat The cliffs fall right into the sea with
traffic as it is a main shipping lane. big boulders and swim-throughs.
This upper area has sun rays
beaming through the clear water.

Starfish commensal shrimp

31) Sinadigan Wall
Icons:
Location: SW of Escarceo Point
Depth: 10-130 ft. (3-40 m)

This is an interesting dive with
two walls, a wide variety of marine
life from tiny nudibranchs to the
occasional pelagic and some

71

32) Washing Machine
Icons:
Location: Verde Island’s West Tip
Depth: 10-50 ft. (3-15m)

Verde Island is a small island Chromis at Verde Wall
across from Puerto Galera between
the provinces of Batanagas and out of the sea off the island’s
Mindoro. Verde Island Passage is a southeast point. Drop in south of
very busy shipping lane. Bamboo them, then head north. The visibility
covers most of the island. is usually excellent. The wall itself
has lots of cracks and crevices to
This dive is located at the island’s duck out of the current, but
northwest tip and is great for big remember that it falls away to great
barrel sponges. As the name depths. Most divers remain above
implies, the current here can be 80 ft. (24m) and there is no good
pretty wild and mixed-up, putting reason to descend any deeper.
the diver through wash and rinse
cycle during the course of the dive. The wall itself is festooned in an
While this site may not be impossible array of colorful corals.
everybody’s cup of tea, when the Whitetips and other sharks,
current is running at full tilt, the occasional mantas, eagle rays, tuna
Washing Machine is like a crazy and jacks, rainbow runners, wahoo
amusement park ride. For those and Spanish mackerel are among
who would like to slowly explore a the pelagics along with Napoleons,
nicely decorated reef with big parrotfish, unicornfish, batfish,
barrel sponges, spiny pufferfish, lots tangs, sweetlips and emperors
of colorful crinoids and a bunch of throughout. There are clouds of
sea anemones, go at slack tide. anthias everywhere making the
whole place move with color.
33) Verde Island Wall
Icons: At the safety stop on top of the
Location: SE Point of Verde Island reef, there are some very nice
Depth: 15-100 ft. (4-30 m) shallow coral gardens with chromis
in thick clouds. Also, the reef
This is one of the best dives in the belches occasionally, literally! Look
country. The wall itself is easy to for the bubbles of volcanic gases
find: Look for the two rocks jutting escaping from cracks in the reef.

72

Batfish school off Alma Jane

Southern Leyte Southern Sogod
Leyte Bay
Sogod Bay is a large bay in the 34
southern part of Leyte Island and 37
an extension of the Bohol Sea. It is 35
fully surrounded by the province of 36
Southern Leyte. The municipality of
Sogod is located at the head of the 38
bay so the bay has that moniker.
recently been the focus of
For divers, the waters are home to swimming with the biggest of fish as
a profusion of beautiful marine life. whale sharks are known to
As it is a bit off the beaten diver seasonally frequent the area.
path in the Philippines, the reefs are
considered to be uncrowded with The bay has coral gardens, steep
spots waiting to be found and dropoffs, cascading shelves and
explored. It is known for having walls, as well as black sand, which
some great macro sites with lots of is what macro buffs seek for the
rare and unusual invertebrates and prolific macro life.
small fish like tiny pygmy seahorses,
nudibranchs, frogfish and pipefish Local dive resorts are dedicated to
to turtles, Napoleon wrasses and marine conservation and have
reef sharks. The bay has also sponsored marine protected areas
(MPAs) throughout Sogod Bay. The
Ribbon eel bio-diversity of the marine
ecosystem offers visitors an
unforgettable and unique
experience.

Divers will find certified PADI
instructors and the knowledgeable
Filipino divemasters. Over 25
unspoiled dive sites are now
regularly dived. Underwater
photographers and videographers
are welcomed. For instance, at
Sogod Bay Resort, within ten to
thirty minutes of the resort there are
over 20 dive sites, including some

74

Juvenile whale shark

interesting wide angle spots. from Ubay, Bohol, to Bato and
Hilongos in Leyte. The land transfer
Divers get to this area a couple from Maasin then takes around 45
of ways and there is some minutes.
driving and flying involved.
International flights can arrive at Not all operators take part in the
both Manila and Cebu. reef restoration and marine preserve
There are a number of ferry services programs. Those who do plant and
from Cebu to Leyte. Contact your grow live corals on the reefs. They
resort to check the schedule of do this work with the help of the
ferries as they can change local marine biologists. Ask as they
seasonally and without notice. allow guest divers to help so divers
Usually transfers by car from Leyte can give back to Mother Ocean.
ferry terminals in Bato, Hilongos,
Ormoc or Maasin can be made. Leyte is a big area and there are
parks, beaches and waterfalls for
From Manila, a number of flights people to visit if not just there for
are available to Tacloban, Leyte, diving. Padre Burgos town is the
(TAC) pretty much daily. From jump-off point because of its
Tacloban to most dive areas by car concentration of dive shops and
then takes about three hours. lodging facilities. Check Napantao
Marine Protected Area sanctuary.
From Bohol, ferries are available

75

Table corals The best time to dive Napantao is
mid morning. The colors can be
34) Napantao MPA tremendously nice with the right
Icons: sunlight on the upper reef. There are
Location: Near San Francisco town two walls with the major one
Depth: 10-140+ ft. (3-40+m) shaped like a horseshoe. It has a big
and deep crack past 140 ft. (42m)
Napantao is the oldest marine full of sweetlips and spotted
protected area in Sogod bay. groupers. It is normally dived with
Coral Cay Conservation is based in the prevailing current and divers
the area and as a result, there is not zig-zag up the wall. At the top of
a lot of illegal fishing in the the wall there is an abundance of
sanctuary. It is said to be one of the marine life and hard and soft coral.
top 10 wall dives in South East Asia. Look for the occasional whitetip
reef sharks in the limestone caves.
Napantao is a fantastic wall dive
starting at around 45 ft. (13m) and There’s also a second almost mini-
drops down past safe diving limits wall that is also very colorful and
to 160 ft. (50m). Currents can be a drops down deep. Look for batfish
bit tricky but this is a plus as when schools and hiding frogfish on this
currents are strong pelagic fishes wall. Divers can do both walls in
are often seen. Tuna, wahoo, devil one dive if the current is strong.
rays, rainbow runners and midnight Napantao is a must to dive when
snappers all school in the area and visiting Sogod Bay.
can be seen with the fusilier masses
in the blue water. The wall is Mandarinfish
covered with red soft corals
gorgonian fans and green Tubastrea
sp. tree corals that open their
polyps when the currents are strong
for a burst of reef color.

76

35) Padre Burgos Pier
Icons:
Location: Padre Burgos
Town Pier
Depth: 15-20 ft. (4-5m)

The Padre Burgos Pier
is a popular night
dive in shallow water

and local operators bill

it as “the ultimate night

dive”. Photographers

will love it as there are

seahorses, frogfish,

nudibranchs, eels,

octopi, stargazers,

razorfish and many

types of crabs calling the

pier home.

Padre Burgos jetty or

pier is one of the best

night dives in the Chromodoris nudibranch

Philippines but day

dives can also be bottom. It is a good site for
productive. Located in the town of nudibranch lovers as well. A true
Padre Burgos, divers can use the muck dive, the pier has its share of
pier on Monday, Wednesday and junk and trash but these seem to go
Friday nights and by day when not hand-in-hand with the habitat for
in use by larger ships. the odd and unusual.

Three dive operators in the area Macro is the key here but the
dive this site on a regular basis. many pillars under the jetty let light
Maximum depth is around 15 to 20 in for wide angle work for the
ft. (5m) and visibility is good and creative shooter. They are covered
50-70 ft. (15-22m). Things to see in soft corals and ascidians. The
include stargazers by night and the sandy area around the jetty has
tiny blue-ringed octopus to flying sand dwellers like stargazers and
gurnards scurrying along the snake eels and ubiquitous lionfish.

77

Saddleback anemonefish

36) Tangkaan MPA to about 100 ft. (30m). There are
Icons: plenty of barrel sponges, green tree
Location: South of Padre Burgos corals and big tables corals as well
Depth: 10-100 ft. (3-30m) a number of big gorgonian fans.
There is an abundance of marine
Tangkaan is situated on a life along the wall and reef.
peninsula south of Padre
Burgos. It has both a wall dive and Black frogfish are often seen
a angled coral slope. It drops down perched on the forest green
tubastrea coral trees. Divers see
macro life like pygmy seahorses and
nudibranchs and larger critters like
batfish, turtles and the occasional
whale shark. Tankaan is a marine
protected area.

Nearby Medicare North and
South have been sanctuaries for
over five years, named from their
adjacent position to the Padre
Burgos medicare facility.

Surfacing to a banca
78

sand around the rocks is a
large garden eel colony.
Midnight snappers,
longnose emperors and
unicornfish abound and the
hard corals are outstanding.

38) Sunok
Icons:
Location: S. Padre Burgos
Depth: 10-100 ft. (3-27m)

Ornate ghost pipefish Known locally as Ihotiki,
whale sharks are found in
37) Turtle Rock Sogod Bay from November
Icons: to April. Whale sharks
Location: South of Padre Burgos annually gather at the
Depth: 10-100 ft. (3-27m) southeast tip of Sogod Bay
at a place called Sunok in
Turtle rock is a spectacular dive the southern part of the bay.
site. Situated on the outside of While encounters are never
Sogod bay on the peninsular of guaranteed, if a diver stays
Tankaan. It has four large rock for at least a week chances
formations starting at 45 ft. (13m) increase of seeing one or
and dropping down to around 130 more whale sharks.
ft. (40m). On the second rock there Sunok is also a fish sanctuary and
is a massive Gorgonian fan. In the dive site an hour ride from Padre
Burgos. Sunok Point has a wall
similar to a terrace that drops down
to 65ft (20m,) then, at the end, falls
away deeper. One side of the
terrace is a sloping coral reef with
beautiful soft corals, fans and
barrel sponges. The currenty other
side of the terrace is a nice wall
with huge fans, sea whips,
Napoleons and reef sharks.

79

Romblon 39
40, 41, 42, 44 Romblon
Existing in relative isolation from
the rest of Luzon, Romblon 43 Sibuyan
retains much of its Spanish legacy
and its natural attractions are largely Tablas
unexplored. Some say it is like the
Philippines of 20 years ago. Lining Sibuyan Sea
the shores of the province’s three
major islands – Romblon, Sibuyan, coast of Romblon boast over 30
and Tablas – are some of the best, dive sites that are producing some
most unspoiled beaches in this part amazing results for the hardcore
of the country. Ringed by palm- macro diver looking for such elusive
fringed white sand, these beaches creatures as the barely discernable
boast a wealth and variety of green algae shrimp, many rare and
marine life offshore. Inland, there extremely cryptic nudibranchs like
are a number of waterfalls and an the tiger butterfly (Cycerce nigra)
inland salt lake. and various pygmy and sea grass
seahorses.
For divers, Romblon is becoming There are five marine sanctuaries
synonymous with macro in the three-island area. There are
photography and super macro also some beautiful reefs here.
photography. The coasts around
Alad and Logbon and the west

Romblon sunset -
photo ©Monika Pirdzuns

80

39) Alad Island and Sanctuary
Icons:
Location: Alad Island
Depth: 18-85 ft. (5-25m)

Alad is an inhabited island close to Bobtail shrimp
Romblon Island. On the west coast
you find wide fields of soft and numerous marine species like
leather corals with abundant marble snake eels, sea moths,
hydrozoans and colorful sponges. frogfish, dragon shrimp and lots of
On the east coast there are large Durban shrimp. This dive site is not
table and staghorn corals. Known only suitable for scuba diving but
well is Alad Marine Sanctuary for also for snorkeling and swimming.
its high biodiversity and its big
barrel sponges.

Alad Marine Sanctuary is
located in a marine protected area
and is known for its vast fields of
soft and leather corals. Near the
beach the soft corals gently move in
the surf. There are large barrel
sponges and hydroids. This special
coral community is a habitat to

Glassfish at tubastrea tree
coral - photo © Jerome Kim

81

many reaching impressive sizes

larger than a diver’s length. Look

under the corals for snappers and

sweetlips and also eels, lobsters

and sea turtles.

The site Alad South has a more

varied terrain. There are stretches

of sand and large coral bommies

and fields. Various coral species

compete and intermingle here

making the entire reef structure

fascinating. The usual entry point is

a sandy plain with a large field of

garden eels. Then the coral life

takes over. This site has plenty of

places for fish to hide and divers

Brown & green Nembrothas should look under the corals.
Also found here is the Alad

Also within the Alad Marine Channel. This drift dive runs
Sanctuary is the Alad Sanctuary between the two islands Logbon
Garden. This large wall is covered and Alad. Here you can see lots of
in soft and leather corals, sponges coral bommies teeming with marine
and hydroids. Divers look for small life. Large shoals of small fish like
marine life along the wall and find chromis and anthias give the reef
nudibranchs, various crabs, frogfish color and action. Look for various
and shrimps. Look into the blue for rays here too and also reef whitetip
schooling fusiliers and blacktip sharks.

and others fishes. Painted Phyllidia nudibranch
Alad North is a

site with a huge

cover of healthy and

large table corals.

Spread over a wide

sloping plain, these

table corals are

found in many

colors and with

82

Melibe colemani nudibranch
photo © Jerome Kim

40) Three P House Reef characterized by sandy areas, sea
Icons: grass and big coral bommies
Location: Barangay Lonos providing excellent habitat. Divers
Depth: 10-67 ft. (3-20m) find a great variety of marine
species including rare tiger shrimp,
Around Romblon Island there mandarinfish (best at dusk) and
are various dive sites: walls, marble shrimp. This site is also
cliffs, soft coral spots, muck dive suitable for snorkeling and perfect
sites for macro fans, giant for night diving. Photographers
gorgonians, marine sanctuaries, prefer macro and super macro here.
underwater canyons and much
more. The Three P Holiday & Dive The Three P Resort is named after
Resort house reef is just that, a three brothers whose name starts
walk-in dive that offers an amazing with P, but of great interest
amount of macro subjects. It can be worldwide is the Facebook page ID
entered directly from the beach and Please! created by Kati Hachenberg,
then the search for the odd an the wife of one of the brothers. Odd
unusual begins. This dive site is creatures worldwide are identified
at this site. Try it! Great responses.

83

Butterfly sea slug
photo © Jerome Kim

41) Lunas deadly blue ring octopus and also
Icons: mimic octopus. Look on the smaller
Location: Barangay Lonos black coral bushes for beautiful
Depth: 10-67 ft. (3-20m) sawblade shrimps. At night and
even by day one can also see the
This is a true muck dive with a humorously named Bobbit worm.
sandy-muddy bottom that is one of
the better critter sites in the country. This is one of the more popular
While it might not look like much, critter dives in the area and even
to trained eyes it is heaven. There though the sandy bottom seems
are lots of rare creatures that macro endless, it is constantly changing so
and super macro buffs constantly go with a good macro guide. There
look for. Found here are the is usually a brisk current that rolls
reclusive wunderpus, the beautiful over the sand and small reefs here
flamboyant cuttlefish, small but so be weighted properly and
prepared for a bit of current.

84

42) Magnificat Soft corals on wall
Icons: photo © Jerome Kim
Location: Barangay Lonos
Depth: 10-115 ft. (3-35m) soft coral formations that thrive in
the consistent ocean currents that
This dive site is known for feed this site.
large sea fans and beautiful
coral reef. While the site
may beg for wide angle,
divers find pygmy seahorses
here. Hippocampus denise
and Hippocampus
bargibanti are found in the
gorgonians that line the
walls and outcrops. This is
also a great sites for
colorful nudibranchs and
beautiful scorpionfish. For wide
angle, look for coral clusters and

Arrowcrab in black coral

85

Spinecheek anemonefish protected and
diverse terrain.
43) Agpanabat Marine Sanctuary Various fish
Icons: schools like the
Location: Off Barangay Agpanabat protection of the
Depth: 18-84 ft. (5-25m) corals and look
for sea anemones
This dive spot is characterized by of all kinds and
a series of very large, towering their
coral bommies covered in all sorts accompanying
of marine life. Sandy channels and anemonefish
plains mark the bottom between swimming in their
each coral head so divers can tentacles.
expect almost anything in this Anemone crabs
can also be seen
as can glass
shrimp.

Also within the
sanctuary are the
Agpanabat Caves
and Canyons
which is a site
marked by a
rugged terrain as
the name suggests. The area is a mix
of steep walls, coral laden
overhangs, small caves and deep
gorges. The coral diversity is quite
nice here but a lot of the dive is just
swimming in and out of the
different terrains.
Fun to explore and great habitat
for fish like snappers, sweetlips,
lobsters, the craggy rock formations
make Agpanabat a unique scuba
diving experience.

86

44) Logbon Coral Canyon corals and the occasional stand of
Icons: red sea whips.
Location: Barangay Logbon
Depth: 9-131 ft. (3-40m) Expect to see clouds of anthias,
schooling fusiliers, possible bigeye
One of the great things about jack shoals and more. Sea turtles
Romblon and the surrounding area like this reef and can be found
is that there are some sites with resting on the corals.
varied terrains and diverse marine
life. Logbon Coral Canyon is one For the smaller species, critters
such dive site. like ornate ghost pipefish, spindle
cowries, coral crabs and other
As the name might suggest, there crustaceans and a wide variety of
are mountains, valleys and ridges colorful and rare nudibranchs can
all densely covered in a broad all be seen on dives here.
variety of corals and sponges. This
underwater The site also has swim-throughs
scape is habitat for divers to play with.
for many
marine Crab on sea pen
creatures both
large and small
so photogs can
choose betwen
macro or wide
angle set-ups.
This is the kind
of dive that can
be done many
times so one
dive can be
close-up
subjects and
the next go for
the wide ones
like grogonian
sea fans,
clumps of soft

87

The Visayas the most famous. It is two miles
(four km) of white, powdery fine
After Boracay was named one of sand dotted with resorts, shops, dive
the best island destinations in shops and restaurants.
the world by Travel & Leisure
Magazine in 2013, this area no Because the waters off White
longer is a best-kept secret. Beach are calm during Amihan
season (November to May), tourism
It has been a favorite of Europeans is at its peak during these months
for decades but now Asia has also when the northeastern winds blow.
discovered the various Visayas Conditions reverse during the rainy
destinations with their wide range season, when the Habagat or
of accommodations, great variety of monsoon winds blow.
cuisines and numerous activities
and famed beaches. There’s a room for every type of
traveler here. Boracay gets tourists
Divers fly into Cebu City and from from different parts of the globe,
there branch out to their favorite thus a wide variety of food choices:
dive areas looking for thresher Chinese, Indian, American,
sharks or rare macro critters or Mexican, French, Italian, Swiss —
shipwrecks or all of the above. even Moroccan food! Fresh seafood
is a given.
Some of the best snorkeling sites
in the Philippines are also here. There’s no shortage of activities
for you at this island paradise.
The iconic photos of Boracay hail Boracay has around 25 dive sites
from White Beach. There are quite a that cater to all levels of experience.
few White Beaches in the Training is a big deal here and all
Philippines, but this one is, by far,
sorts of courses
Morning at Dauin can be taken to
advance skills
and
certificates.
After all the
sports, indulge
in a luxurious
massage right
on the beach
or at one of the
health spas.

88

Boracay 45) Cathedral Cave
Icons:
San Jose Location: West Carabao Island
Depth: 82-130 ft. (25-40m)
48 46
47 Boracay This is a favorite that can be a bit
of a boat ride to get to this Carabao
51 49 50 Island site. The dive features walls
52 45 and caverns and crevices and one
large and somewhat deep cave.
Panay
This huge cavern starts at 80 ft.
(24m) and extends far into the reef
wall. Its not so deep and dark that
cave diving training is needed, but
bring a good light. The blue hue of
the entrance is always in sight.

Poke around the walls and cracks
to see what’s in there on any given
day. Fish swim upside own,
orienting themselves to the cave
walls. Tubastrea and black corals
grow from the ceiling.

Clown triggerfish
89

This is the largest but not the only two separate
cave or crevice along this wall. walls but both
Look for nice coral growth along begin at 100 ft
the walls and schools of barracuda, (30m) and drop
snapper and others in the blue down past safe
water off the wall. sport diving
limits.
46) Yapak
Icons: To see
Location: North of Boracay whitetip and
Depth: 100-130 ft. (30-40 m) blacktip sharks,
Blackbar barracuda hammerheads
Yapak can be an exhilarating deep and even an
drift dive that is best done on a occasional
rising tide. The site provides divers whale shark look off the walls into
the opportunity to see the larger the blue water. A smorgasbord of
marine life of Boracay. This can be a pelagics, there are also yellowfin
very colorful dive as the wall is full and dogtooth tuna, jacks, wahoo,
of Gorgonian sea fans and soft blackbar barracuda, Spanish
corals. The barrel sponges and mackerel and all of those current
clouds of smaller fish are part of the loving blue water fish. Even mantas
attraction as the current runs past have been seen passing by.
the terrain. The walls are deep and This is more for experienced divers
there are actually two different dive only who have had deep diving
sites at Yapak. Yapak 1 and 2 are training and practiced deep dives.
Punta Bonga also offers good
pelagic action at shallower depths.

47) Punta Bonga 1 & 2
Icons:
Location: North of Friday’s Rock,
West Boracay
Depth: 26-130 ft. (8-40 m)

This site is the start of a series of
walls which connect to Yapak. There
is a shallow start to the dropoff. It is
pocked with holes and crevices that

90

hold moray eels, triggerfish and friendly and come in close. There
other reef residents. At the wall are two different dives here. One is
bottom, there is sand and marble at Friday’s Rock, a submerged
rays like to lay here. mount with lots of fish living in and
around a big coral boulder. Nearby
Punta Bonga 1 is the shallower of a coral garden rises up (Friday’s
the two dives. Look for a nice, Reef) into the shallows and can be a
healthy selection of hard corals, second dive or part of the first.
swaying soft corals and lots of
smaller fish. Plentiful marine life can be found
on the rock. But also look at the
Punta Bonga 2 has similar cover sandy areas and patch reefs
but is ledgy and cascades down in surrounding the rock for abundant
broad steps to deeper water. Look fish and beautiful invertebrates.
for more pelagics here.

48) Friday’s Rock 49) Crocodile Island
Icons: Icons:
Location: Off Balabag, W. Boracay Location: Off Boracay’s SE Tip
Depth: 23-60 ft. (7-18m) Depth: 16-82 ft. (5-25m)

This is a well-used site for dive This is an uninhabited island that
training and for photography as the looks like a big croc. Since the reef
fish are fed here so the fish are starts in the shallows, snorkelers

Diver and sea turtle

91

Lionfish

love the site for its nice corals and many corals come very close to the
variety of fish life. And just over the surface at both sites.
wall are gorgonians and lots of
colorful anthias. This is a beautiful wall dive with
feather stars, sponges and healthy
Divers like it for the marine life coral varieties, especially table and
the currents attract. Known for its soft corals. Many different types of
sea snakes, it is likely there will be nudibranchs can be found here and
banded sea snakes on most every this site is great as a dive for macro
dive. Reef fish include fusiliers, photographers.
Moorish idols, sweetlips, snappers
and parrotfish. For macro shooters Laurel Island 1 has a special
there are nudibranchs including feature. There is a tunnel about 25
some of the Chromodoris family. ft. (8m) long that is full of tubastrea
corals that blossom into bright
50) Laurel Island 1 & 2 colors in fast current. Laurel 2 has
Icons: similar corals and great fish life.
Location: SE of Crocodile Island
Depth: 10-65 ft. (3-20 m) 51) Nasog Point
Icons:
The big attraction here is also the Location: NW Panay
fish life and nice coral growth. This Depth: Surface to 115 ft. (0-35 m)
is a good spot for snorkeling as
This is a good snorkeling site

92

when the current is not too strong. diver won’t encounter a dog. This is
Nasog Point has an interesting usually a drift dive with plenty to
bottom composition of massive see when there is current. This
boulders and canyons with some relatively small wall has lots of
good coral cover, including sea fans caves and crevices to explore, some
and soft corals. of them with painted lobsters. This
wall is only about 300 ft. (90m) but
There is better chance of seeing it is packed with many caves,
pelagic fish swim by. Dogtooth crevices and holes. Look also for
tuna, barracuda and even an eagle resting sea turtles and lots of rather
ray may make an appearance. colorful soft corals.

Nasog Point is a regional favorite Look into the blue as pelagic fish
and Boracay dive centers like to are known to drift into the water
combine this with nearby Dog Drift. column to have a look at divers.

52) Dog Drift The reef is very nice like nearby
Icons: Nasog Point, but the fish life here is
Location: South of Nasog Point more prolific. Groupers, snapper
Depth: 16-100 ft. (5-30m) schools and some batfish are among
the residents. The cracks and
As the name implies, this is crevices hold moray eels as well.
normally done as a drift dive. It is a Lionfish can be seen here too. It's a
pleasant drift dive but chances are a slow and easy drift.

Jack school in shallow water

93

Malapascua the island. There are no cars; not
even a lot of motorbikes and not a
Dona Marilyn lot of pavement. All the “streets”
Wreck and walkways are sand…
sometimes very thick, slog-through
54 56 Monad sand. And Long, white sand
55 Shoal beaches adorn a good part of the
island. There are some trendy little
Malapascua 57,58 59 hotels perched on rocky overlooks
Island and beach bars. Beachfront cabins
abound and guest houses and
Kimud boutique hotels can be found
53 Shoal hidden inside the maze of
walkways that make up the heart of
Cebu Malapascua.
Island
You do have to get used to having
The huge towering palm trees are sandy feet. It is just part of the
a bit scarce on Malapascua lifestyle here. The going can be a bit
now. But after a supertyphoon slow along the beach walk. And,
flattened the island in 2013, the the sand is hot as the sun gets high.
island has rebounded nicely, thank Always wear at least zoris (flip-
you, and is a beehive of diving and
beach activity. Known as one of the Thresher shark carver
few places on Earth where divers
fairly consistently can see the
unusual and rare thresher shark at
deep cleaning stations along the
walls of Monad Shoal, the island
has a variety of diving to offer divers
including the early morning (usually
around 5 a.m. departure) thresher
shark dives, some incredible macro
diving, shipwrecks, deep and tek
dives, dusk mandarinfish spotting
and critter-fueled night dives.

One has to visit Malapascua to
really appreciate the rustic charm of

94

Chocolate Island

flops) to keep the hot sand at bay. Location: East of Malapascua
However, this inner maze in the Depth: 10 -70 ft. (3-21m)
center of all the local and tourist
housing, with the less sandy more This may be the most amazing
trampled paths, may be most macro site in the Malapascua area
interesting after dark with stalls of (and there some other good ones).
food, fruits and carved thresher This rocky outcrop is closer to the
sharks. Also tucked away are Maya pier than Malapascua. It is a
restaurants and small pubs offering long, shallow dive mainly at 40-55
Filipino, seafood and Western/Euro ft. (12 to 16m) looking at small
dishes and plenty of cold beer and bommies and coral rubble and
the ubiquitous karaoke. Many bars finding a bonanza of nudibranchs,
offer some great music and a flatworms and cuttlefish, including
relaxing place to tell those tall flamboyant cuttlefish.
diving tales. For those who have
done a successful 5 a.m. thresher It seems like every few fin kicks
dive, one can enjoy the late night here brings something new
life and local people, who are both including some nudis laying eggs
friendly and fun. and mating and cruising the sea
bottom. For nudibranch lovers, this
53) Chocolate Island site is especially good with a huge
Icons: variety ranging from tiny to quite
large. As the site is shallow enough,

95

Smoothies and local fruit are good and
full of diversity.
divers should make this a slow and
easy dive and look closely at the The island is a
rocks, small coral clusters and sea marine reserve
floor to find an array of photogenic and designated
macro prizes. as a sea snake
sanctuary. There
Even the deco area near the are about five
island is productive. Leather coral dive sites with
cowries can be found as well as varying terrain
other tiny critters. and marine life.
The macro life is
54) Gato Island particularly
Icons: good and this
Location: 40 mins NW of island has a unique novelty feature
Malapascua in that it has a tunnel that runs
Depth: 16-82 ft. (5-25m) through the entire island. Divers
can drift along the high rock walls
Gato Island sits off in the here, explore the undercuts and
distance a little northwest of small caves, swim between the
Malapascua and is a popular all day rocks and hide in the lee for
destination. Two dives are normally leisurely exploration. There are
done here or else one at Gato with many options and wide
a first deeper one at the Dona photography may be good for a dive
Marilyn wreck north of Gato. while macro is good for all of the
Whatever the plan, the dives here dives. The sandy bottom flattens out
around 80 ft. (24m) but the dives
can be done shallower with great
success. Its not necessary to go
deep to see a lot.
Look for the banded sea snakes,
of course, as well as cuttlefish. The
undercuts hold large black coral
trees. In these you will find arrow
crabs, anthias, lionfish and lots of
other creatures taking refuge in the
wispy coral. Look for many different

96

Soft coral on overhang cave does get a bit deeper as one
goes through it and the blue
type of Antipathes sp. around the glimmer of the entrance disappears
island including the beautiful white just before the blue glimmer of the
bottle brush black coral. exit appears. You need a guide and
a light and its about a five to ten
The big novelty dive is the one minute swim totally through to the
swim-through that goes completely other side of the island.
across the island. The cave dive site
normally starts by entering on the This 100ft (30m) long tunnel
island’s west side. It is a really long houses all the usual cave dwellers
tunnel. The like decorator crabs and painted
shallow part of lobsters and usually some large
the dive starts by pufferfish. The cave is also home to
swimming whitetip sharks which seems to add
between some big to the thrill factor. The whitetips like
boulders that are to sit inside or near this exit and rest
up shallow. More and let the current run over their
than a pair of gills. The sharks will begrudgingly
divers can fit side move from resting. There are cat
by side in the big and bamboo sharks as well as the
entrance. There is whitetips.
also a rope at the
tunnel roof. The Macro buffs will like poking
along the walls of the island for
small prizes to see and photograph.

Time out for massage
at Buena Vida Spa

97

Yellow spotted gobies the current to feed and are really
beautiful. It is completely different
55) North Point at slack tide. In the current, the
Icons: beautiful soft coral really opens up
Location: North tip of Malapascua and the reef is more colorful. But
Depth: 18-70 ft. (5-22m) the current is strong and it’s a bit of
work getting to the habitats of some
This dive requires roughly a five- of the varied small marine life
minute boat ride from Bounty including giant and clown frogfish
Beach and is an interesting dive site found in many colors, fire urchins
with varied terrain and a variety of with their commensal crabs or
sea creatures to see. A series of shrimp, nudibranchs and a couple
ridges lead to sandy plains. The of sea fans with pygmy seahorses.
ridges are undercut and covered in
brilliant soft corals. There is also a Whether the current is running or
large boulder near the mooring not, end the dive at the large coral
adorned in brilliant orange soft garden. Puffers rest in the huge
coral and a coral garden of leather leather corals and the healthy reef
corals that stretches over a wide stretches for a nice swim or drift up
area. into the shallows for a deco stop.
You may find yourself drifting at
As it is at the point, when the tide deco here. Follow the guide and the
is changing, the corals open up in sausage and look for some big
jellyfish that sometimes blow into
the area and have small jacks
hiding in their tentacles. People can
snorkel here as well.

56) Lapus Pinnacle
Icons:
Location: East of Malapascua
Depth: 40-80 ft. (12-24m)

Small enough to circumnavigate
in one dive, this current-fed
pinnacle has some mini walls
covered in beautiful soft corals,
wire and whip corals and small
fans. The cracks and crevices along

98

Bounty Beach

parts of the wall are well worth pair of mating nudis.
exploring with clusters of huge This is a great second dive that is
catfish inside. One part of the dive
is shallower with a more sandy, not overly deep and best with
rubbly slope where one can find the current to make the soft and wire
beautiful flamboyant cuttlefish or a corals open up. Currents can get a
little strong here and the dive
usually starts and ends at the anchor
line, so conserve accordingly.

57) Bantigue
Icons:
Location: North tip of Malapascua
Depth: 18-65 ft. (5-18m)

Mandarinfish This is considered a muck dive
locally but is also a good wide
angle and fish dive. This fascinating
area has a bit of everything
stretched across a rolling plain with
a mini-wall, tons of anemones, a
sandy slope full of the filamented

99